Cookie Policy

What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient.

The law states that we can store cookies on your machine if they are essential to the operation of this site but that for all others we need your permission to do so.

The CIOB website(s) does use some non-essential cookies. We do not do this to track individual users or to identify them, but to gain useful knowledge about how the site is used so that we can keep improving it for our users. Without the knowledge we gain from the systems that use these cookies we would not be able to provide the service we do.

Although cookies cannot carry viruses, and cannot install malware on the host computer, tracking cookies and especially third-party tracking cookies are commonly used as way to compile long-term records of individuals' browsing histories - a major privacy concern that prompted European and US law makers to take action.

Cookies we use

SESSxxxID

Authentication session to prevent having to login multiple times in one browser session.

has_js

This helps the website understand browser Javascript functionality.

Also informs the content management system whether you have javascript enabled in your browser settings.

It can deliver content in a suitable way depending on your settings. It expires when you close the browser

Google Analytics cookies

__utma Used to determine unique visitors by Google Analytics

__utmb Used to maintain session for Google Analytics

__utmc Used to maintain session for Google Analytics

__utmz Used by Google Analytics to track referrals and search engine results

__utmv Used by Google Analytics to track custom variables

AddThis cookies

uid, psc, dt, _atuvc, loc, uit

.ASP.NET_sessionId

 This cookie contains the user's session ID and the cookie will expire at the end of the session

.ASPXAUTH

This states that the user is logged in, contains some information about who the user is

Further reading/ help

To read about what the ICO's guidelines are with regards to cookies, please visit their website

More information about cookies, including how to block them or delete them, can be found at this link.

You can also contact the CIOB web team on + 44 (0) 1344 630 738, Monday to Thursday, between 9:00 and 17:00 or between 9:00 and 16:45 on Fridays, or email [email protected]

Copyright

Unless otherwise stated, the contents of www.ciob.org and related CIOB websites are copyright © CIOB 2018.

To reproduce any content from this website, please email [email protected]

The Chartered Institute of Building, CIOB and Lion Mark are UK registered trade marks for The Chartered Institute of Building. 

Privacy Notice 

Introduction

The CIOB is the owner and operator of the CIOB website (www.ciob.org) and other websites managed by the CIOB. 

CIOB is committed to protecting personal information and being transparent about how it collects, uses, and safeguards it. This notice informs you how we look after personal data. 

Data Protection legislation referred to in this Notice means Data Protection Act 2018, UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) and any other legislation developed in connection with the previous legislation. 

Links to CIOB owned websites ancillary to this (ciob.org) are covered by this Privacy Notice. Links to third-party websites are not, and you should check the third-party privacy notice. 

Contents

• Who we are
• What Personal Data We Collect
• How We Use Your Personal Data
• Data Sharing
• Communication Preferences
• International Data Transfers
• Data Retention
• How We Protect Your Data
• Your Rights
• Cookies and Online Tracking
• Complaints
• Changes to the Notice

Who We Are

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is a professional body established by Royal Charter for construction management and leadership. We champion the science, ethics and practice of the built environment worldwide. The CIOB is a registered charity in England and Wales (280795) and in Scotland (SC041725). 

Our registered office is 3 Arlington Square, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 1WA.

CIOB is registered with the Office of the Information Commissioner as a data controller responsible for determining the purposes and means of processing personal data.

Our registered number is Z5884505

If there are any queries in relation to this notice, please contact CIOB at the address above or to [email protected].

What Personal Data We Collect

CIOB collects only the data necessary for our lawful activities. Personal data or personal information is information that can identify an individual person. It does not include data where the identity has been removed. 

Depending on our interaction with you, we may collect, use and store the following types of data:

• Identity and contact information (e.g., name, address, phone number, email)
• Membership administration and history of membership
• Membership, professional, or account information (where applicable)
• Education & Qualification data – e.g., details of qualifications. Professional membership and CPD histories
• Event (CPD, conference and seminars) registration details and communications records
• Website usage data, cookies, and technical information
• Financial and transaction data – relevant to membership
• Handling complaints, responding to enquiries and conducting disciplinary investigations
• Related organisational activities
• Special Category data – if submitted for reasonable adjustments for membership progression or other related CIOB activity, where lawful and necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice. It is not mandatory to provide this information. 

How We Use Your Personal Data

We process personal data based on one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Consent
• Performance of a contract
• Legal obligation
• Legitimate interests (e.g., organisational administration)

Where processing is undertaken on the basis of consent, you are entitled to withdraw that consent in writing at any time. 

We will process your personal information – 

• To facilitate membership and to communicate with you

• To confirm your identity when speaking with you about membership or providing progression advice

  •  To process applications for membership and any upgrades or any changes to membership thereafter

  •  To process annual membership subscriptions and any other payment to or from the Institute (for example, payment of expenses)

  •  To facilitate participation in any CIOB qualifications, certifications or courses

  •  To provide members with automatic member benefits, including but not limited to Construction Management magazine, newsletters, and digital badging

  •  To provide information about and to administer any governance matters, including information about AGMs, Institute elections and any changes to Institute Rules and Regulations

  •  To process any complaints, grievances, disciplinaries or appeals relating to membership

  •  To facilitate membership of Institute Boards, Committee or groups – including but not limited to application processes, length of tenures and trustee recruitment. 

  •  Any other matters that are essential to individual membership or running of the Institute

  •  To register and administer Apprenticeship Services (data may come directly from educational establishments or employers, with the consent of the Apprentice)

• To run events such as CPD, conferences and seminars

  •  To manage the accreditation process

  •  To store and manage CPD responses. 

We may also process personal data for the following purposes:

•  Collection of EDI data for equality monitoring purposes (separate consent will be required) 

•  For suppliers – to manage our relationship with you, or where required in connection with the administration of membership or the management and operation of the organisation.

Please note that your personal data will not be used for automated decision-making.

Data Sharing

We do not share your data with third parties unless necessary in connection with one or more of the purposes set out above. Any such sharing will be limited to what is necessary to achieve the purpose of the sharing and will be undertaken in a way that safeguards your rights and is otherwise compliant with the data protection legislation. Those third parties include:

• Partners, trusted service providers and external advisers
• HMRC and other legal and regulatory bodies.

Communication Preferences

CIOB may contact you in relation to updates to our services, information about events or matters that we feel may be relevant to you. You can manage your preferences through the Comms Preferences, or if you have received an email from us, there is a link at the bottom of the email with the email preference centre to click. 

International Data Transfers

Where personal data is transferred outside the UK or EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (eg adequacy decisions or data transfer agreements) to protect the integrity and security of your personal information.

CIOB policies similarly mandate safeguards for international transfers when data is processed outside the UK/EEA, including transfer risk assessments when sending data to countries lacking adequacy regulations. 

For International Hubs, CIOB staff located in the various countries will only be able to access member data for those members within the specific country. This membership data is held on our CRM, hosted in the UK. 

Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised.

To determine the retention period, we will consider the amount, nature and sensitivity of the data, plus any potential risk of harm. The CIOB will retain data in relation to name, last postcode and last membership grade, together with any CIOB qualifications for legal purposes and the management of membership history following resignation, lapsing or termination of membership.

This reflects CIOB’s retention policy, which sets defined time periods for data deletion or return to users depending on the processing purpose. 

How We Protect Your Data

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures (including Cyber Essentials Plus) to keep your personal information secure, including access controls and industry‑standard systems, consistent with our commitment to safeguarding user data and limiting access to authorised personnel only. 

Your Rights

Under articles 12 – 14, the Privacy Notice sets out your rights under the UK GDPR:

• Access to your personal data – data subject access request for personal data held about you, and check for lawful processing
• Rectification of inaccurate data
• Erasure (“right to be forgotten”) – subject to legal reasons
• Restriction of processing
• Data portability
• Objection to processing
• Withdrawal of consent at any time (where applicable)

No fee will be charged for unless the request under one of the above rights is unfounded, repetitive or excessive. Specific information may be required on application of your rights to confirm identity. This is a security measure only. 

Cookies and Online Tracking

We use cookies or similar technologies to improve website functionality, analyse usage, and personalise content. For details, see our Cookies Policy.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your data, please contact us using the details above – [email protected].

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Accuracy

CIOB takes all reasonable steps to keep personal data in its possession or control, used on an ongoing basis, accurate and relevant based on the recent information available. If advised of a change in information, we will update our data accordingly. 

However, we are reliant on you to ensure that changes in personal data are received. 

Changes to This Notice

From time to time, the CIOB will update this Privacy Notice to reflect changes in regulations and/or our practices.

Disclaimer

1. Information held on the site is deemed accurate at the time and date of publication.

2. Information on this site is not necessarily the opinion of The CIOB.

3. The CIOB does not guarantee accuracy or take any responsibility for the information contained on this website.

4. The CIOB does not take any liability for information contained on third party websites, accessed through www.ciob.org, and The CIOB does not approve the contents of these sites.

5. The CIOB reserves the right to revise the Terms at any time.

6. The website and these Terms are governed by English Law and exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales. 

COVID-19 Disclaimer

We reserve the right to postpone or cancel any face-to-face events due to COVID-19 or any other public health crisis, for example where: (a) there is any applicable government restriction or guidance that would, or is reasonably likely to, prevent the event from being held on the scheduled date – for instance due to the emergence of a new variant; and / or (b) CIOB, acting reasonably, but in its discretion determines that it would be too high risk to hold the event on the scheduled date. If we cancel or postpone the event, we will be in touch regarding any fees which you have pre-paid and details of any rescheduled events (where applicable). However, other than where we agree to reimburse you for any pre-paid fees, we will not otherwise be liable to you for any other costs, liabilities, expenses or damages which you may suffer due to the cancellation or postponement of an event in the above circumstances.

We strongly encourage all attendees to follow government guidelines, including taking regular lateral flow tests before attending public events and not attending if you have any COVID-19 symptoms - we reserve the right to enforce such requirements, as a condition of you being able to attend the event. Further specific rules and restrictions may apply depending on the venue and nature of the event (for instance wearing of masks and social distancing may be required). By registering for an event, you agree to comply with these requirements and accept our policy set out above.

Survey(s)

Responses you give will be reported anonymously and in aggregate (as a complete set). We will not identify you against any individual comments you make unless we have obtained your explicit permission to do so.

Responses to some questions, including profile information and your ratings of membership, may be used to update CIOB membership profiles – so that we can develop a more personalised membership experience.

Your identity and contact details, should you choose to provide them, will be used only for the purposes listed in the survey and to which you consent. These purposes are:

• to know your identity - so that we may seek to address individual comments, and relate your responses to CIOB membership profiles.
• to contact you for follow-up research related to this survey - so that we may carry out further research in relation to particular topics or findings from the survey.

Accessibility statement

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) is committed to ensuring its website is accessible to as many people as possible. We want everyone who visits our website to feel welcome and to have a clear, straightforward, and rewarding experience.
We aim to make our digital content inclusive and usable for all, regardless of ability or the technology being used.

How accessible this website is

We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. This means you should be able to:

• Zoom in up to 300% without text spilling off the screen
• Adjust line height and word spacing using browser tools or plugins
• Navigate most of the website using a keyboard
• Use consistent menus, breadcrumb trails and search features to move around the site
• Navigate long pages using headings and subheadings with assistive technologies
• Skip directly to the main content using your keyboard
• Listen to most of the website using screen readers or text-to-speech tools
• Complete most online forms using a keyboard

We have also made every effort to ensure that website content is written in clear and simple language.
AbilityNet provides advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. AbilityNet is a UK charity that supports disabled people in using digital technology at work, at home and in education.

Known accessibility issues

We know that some parts of this website are not fully accessible. These include:

• Some older videos that do not include captions or audio descriptions
• A small number of older PDF documents that do not fully meet accessibility standards
• Some third-party embedded content that does not meet accessibility requirements, such as:
  o    Google Maps
  o    YouTube
  o    Embedded commenting or data tools

Where possible, we remove, replace or provide alternatives to third-party content that presents accessibility barriers.

What to do if you cannot access content

If you need information from this website in a different format, such as an accessible PDF or large print, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
We will review your request and aim to respond within 5–7 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems

We are always working to improve the accessibility of our website. If you experience any accessibility issues not listed on this page, or believe we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]

When contacting us, please include:

• The page URL
• A description of the issue (including whether you are using a desktop or mobile device)
• Details of any assistive technology or software being used

We aim to respond as quickly as possible and take appropriate action where issues are identified.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website’s accessibility

CIOB is committed to making its website accessible in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the WCAG 2.1 AA standard, due to the issues outlined below.
Accessibility issues are prioritized and addressed on an ongoing basis through regular reviews, automated testing and continuous improvement of website content and functionality.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We are committed to continually improving accessibility across our digital platforms. Our ongoing work includes:

• Regular accessibility testing and monitoring
• Training staff and content editors on accessibility best practice
• Reviewing content before publication to ensure accessibility standards are met
• Updating content guidelines to embed accessibility requirements
• Working with third-party suppliers to improve the accessibility of external platforms and services

Preparation of this statement

This statement was prepared to reflect CIOB’s ongoing commitment to accessibility.
It was last reviewed and updated on 15th December 2025.